I sat down next to a tall, bright, 17-year-old guy named Max on an airplane in December. When he asked what I do, I said, “I’m training to be a pastor.” Now, Max described himself as “secular, or atheist…agnostic…whatever.” He didn’t know quite what to call himself, but he grew up in the Catholic church and knew that religion wasn’t for him. Nevertheless, he was thoroughly interested to meet a real live Protestant Christian. Once he had sorted out just what religion I was seeking to work in, he started peppering me with questions.

Among those questions was this pointed (and no doubt loaded) query: “Does your religion affect your politics?” Read more of this post

Integrity. We throw that word around more than Tony Romo throws a football.

“We have to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

“I am really doing this album for my artistic integrity.”

“The integrity of our military defenses has been compromised.”

“Our professional values are transparency, honesty, and integrity.”

The Oscars recently banned voters from attending parties thrown by film companies after the release of the nominees. Why? To protect, “the integrity of the awards process,” says Academy President, Tom Sherak.

We use this word about institutions, investigations, individuals, and inanimate objects. I often wonder if it has much meaning when we say it anymore. Read more of this post

If we can learn about our culture from anywhere–what drives us, jives with us, and inspires us–we can learn it from McDonald’s. Masters at marketing their products, McDonald’s keys in to the human psyche to get our business. So as I drove down the freeway in West Michigan on my way to Chicago, two identical McDonald’s billboards advertising an iced mocha caught my eye. Their message: “Be cool to yourself.” Read more of this post